The Strickland administration plans to push a $127.5 million higher-education payment into a
2012 budget already swimming in red ink, leaving universities and some lawmakers questioning
whether the money will ever materialize.

"The schools are treating this like a budget cut," said Ronald Abrams, executive director of the
Ohio Association of Community Colleges, adding that his schools are prepared to accept the
sacrifice. "Over the past two years, higher education has been fortunate to have had fairly strong
support from the governor and the legislature."

Gov. Ted Strickland is committed to making sure the money is allocated, a spokeswoman said. But
with so many agencies, including higher education, facing potentially deep cuts, he is asking
schools to take a giant leap of faith, said Bruce E. Johnson, president of the Inter-University
Council, which represents the state's 14 public four-year universities.

To keep the current budget balanced, Ohio plans to give state colleges and universities 11
monthly payments instead of 12 in fiscal year 2011, which ends June 30. That means June's scheduled
payment would be bumped into July.

But if the state can afford to make only 11 payments this year, some question how the state will
afford 13 payments in 2012 when state leaders must balance the next two-year state budget without
$8 billion in one-time state and federal funds.

"It would be up to the next General Assembly and governor to concur that a promise has even been
made," Johnson said. "What are the chances of that? We don't know."

The chances are slim to none, some lawmakers say.

Even without pushing that payment ahead, it was going to be "very difficult" for universities to
avoid a funding cut in the next budget, said Sen. John A. Carey Jr., R-Wellston, chairman of the
Senate Finance Committee.

"It's a cut. There is no other way to put it," he said of the delayed payment. "The next budget
is going to be even more difficult. To say they're going to float it until next budget is like
saying 'I got a bridge I want to sell you.'"

A General Assembly cannot force the next one to spend money. So although officials can promise
that universities will get their money, just 21 days late, the legislature is not required to
follow through.

Eric D. Fingerhut, chancellor of the Board of Regents, said the initial plan was to delay $153
million, but that was reduced to $127.5 million. He said the public colleges should all be large
enough to deal with the 21-day delay without serious consequence.

"They know how to deal with volatility," he said. "They can't deal with 20 percent enrollment
growth from one year to the next without being fiscally capable of managing pretty wild
swings."

Fingerhut said schools will get their payment in July, but he admitted that there is no way to
tell how that might impact funding for the next two-year budget.

Strickland spokeswoman Amanda Wurst said universities and lawmakers were aware in 2009 that the
payment delay was likely. For anyone to claim otherwise is either a lack of understanding of what
was passed or a "political attack on one of Gov. Strickland's greatest strengths," she said.

The governor is committed "to ensuring this is part of the budget-planning process next year,"
she said.

Asked what he is telling universities, Rep. Vernon Sykes, D-Akron, chairman of the House Finance
Committee, said: "We're just trying to hold on until we start seeing more productivity coming out
of this recession. Until we receive more revenue, we'll continue to have to make adjustments."